Specific to Stillbirth

Most of this site is geared to miscarriage, but there is a very blurry line between miscarriage and stillbirth. A stillbirth is a birth of a deceased baby after 20 – 24 weeks gestation (this varies by country). The miscarriage of babies at the end of the first trimester and into the second trimester closely resembles labor and delivery and thus stillbirth. In addition, much of the information on this site about miscarriage is also applicable to stillbirth. However, I wanted to include a special section on stillbirth to take into account some of the differences. [This section may grow over time.]

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This was written by a woman who suffered the loss of her 33 week daughter early this year. She was kind enough to share some thoughts with us in the hopes that they might help someone else.

Something that was really difficult about our situation and I think is really common with babies that are born still is how rapidly everything happened. I was admitted to the hospital within a couple hours after finding out our daughter had died. I had no time to think, or research or read or ask or look up things on the internet. Thankfully there are few things I think I would have done differently had I had more time to prepare. I am grateful for all the amazing people that are loving us and supporting us as we grieve. We experience God's love through their words, hugs, tears and smiles and this reminds us that even when the pain of grief seems too much to bear it does not take long to remember that we are blessed.

3. I'm glad I took a lot of time to look at all her parts, to touch the soft parts on her skin, to admire her fingers and toes and button nose. We talked about who she looked like (me!) and how beautiful she was. I tried to memorize every detail of her praying that God would not allow those memories to fade.

4. We had her footprints made.

5. We ignored our phone...we did not call everyone and tell them that she was born, we focused on spending our precious little time with her and filled everyone in later.

6. We made a memory book with her foot prints, pictures, ultrasound pictures, hat, etc.

7. We sent her pictures to friends and family...there are also announcements specific for miscarriage, stillbirth and infant loss [ed. note: You can find these online if not in stores.]

Some things that I wish had been different:

1. I wish I had asked my midwife to stay with me. If you were planning to have a doula, I would recommend that you still ask them to come. You are still going through the entire process of labor and delivery and need the support even more so.

2. I was overwhelmed and in shock and going through the pains of labor knowing that I would never be able to take my baby home with me. I wish that I had barred everyone from asking me about funeral homes and cemetery plots, etc while in labor. Maybe this was necessary, I don't know, but it was very difficult because I felt like everyone was so focused on making arrangements that they forgot that I was in labor and needed support. [ed. note: Consider having a family member or friend be the appointed resource person for medical personnel to talk to about arrangements.]

3. Because I am her mother, I was very concerned about the condition of our daughter's skin so I was very cautious with moving her around a jostling her too much. I did not let the nurse dress her because I didn't want to damage her skin any further. I'm not sure if I would change anything about that other than maybe hold her more tightly and in other positions.

4. She was born with one eye slightly parted so I could see that she had blue eyes. I wish that I had opened her eyes to see what she looked like with her eyes open. I think I even thought about it, but was afraid it might upset my husband.

5. I think in our situation it was best that my husband and I were the only ones in our hospital room. We were able to be completely open with our emotions and we did not have to divide our scarce time with her with others. But sometimes I do wish that I had a picture of our daughter with her big brother.

6. If you happen to have items with you for your little one like a teddy bear, toy, blanket, hat, etc. put them with your baby and take pictures of your baby with the item. That will make the item seem more special later.

Important things to know:

1. Because our culture shies away from death, I think that many mothers and fathers are not well prepared for what their baby may look like. Depending on the time between the baby's death and birth the baby's body will already be showing some signs of death. Your baby may have skin peeling in several places and may have some fluid-filled blisters. It may be a bit soft and "sticky". Some bruising may be present, especially on the face. These signs will accelerate after birth.

2. Delivering in the hospital (at least in my experience) can be extremely difficult. In most cases you will be put on the labor and delivery floor with all the other pregnant and laboring mothers. [ed. note: In addition most hospitals endeavor to move these mothers to non-postpartum women's floors after delivery. If this is not offered, ask if it would be possible.]

3. Even though you did not bring your baby home, you are still postpartum. You had a beautiful baby and your body needs to recover the same as every other mother. The difficult thing for me was that I had to deal with the regular postpartum pain and hormonal issues while grieving for my daughter and without the "feel good" hormones new moms get when they hold and nurse their newborns. Be kind to yourself, rest and allow others to help with meals, housework, taking care of other children, etc. [ed. note: Postpartum depression is a bigger risk for women who have suffered a loss. Do not hesitate to address this if you think you may have it.]

4. Just know that death can be confusing for kids and they may process it in different ways. Some of these ways can include asking very blunt questions. Just do what ever you need to. If it feels good to talk about your baby and what happened to him/her then share away. If it is not the right time it's ok to say that you do not want to talk about it right now because you feel sad.

5. If your baby is born in the latter part of your pregnancy it is likely that your milk will come in. Mine did and I was not sure how to make it dry up. I thought if I pumped then I would continue to make more so I tried to just let it dry up on their own. This was extremely painful. My midwife gave me the number to a lactation consultant. She shared with me some tips on drying up naturally. She also shared another option with me, donating my breast milk. My baby was born at 33 weeks. The lactation consultant taught me about preterm milk (before 36 weeks). She said that preterm milk is even more nutrient dense than regular breast milk because of the unique needs of preterm babies. She said that preterm milk is greatly needed but supply is always limited. The preterm milk is used mostly for preterm babies in NICUs. Breast milk is considered preterm for 30 days following delivery of a preterm baby. I decided to donate my milk as a way to honor my daughter. This was not always easy. Sometimes I felt good almost happy that I had the opportunity to help nourish and strengthen sweet babies, but other times pumping was a huge emotional struggle. The first week I pumped about every 3-4 hours...yes I woke up in the middle of the night to pump :( My breasts would become engorged and the pain would wake me. Sometimes the mechanicalness of pumping really bothered me and I would yearn to be able to give my milk to my beautiful daughter. Another challenging thing about pumping is that you have to take all your supplies with you wherever you go and find places to pump and all the fun that goes along with that. Thankfully it wasn't long before I was able to extend the time between pumping. I pumped for about 30 days. The last week I pumped 1-2x's per day. My milk had began to dry up on its own (probably due in part to the lack of "feel good" nursing hormones). When I stopped pumping my milk just dried up, I did not become engorged. I am now very grateful that my lactation consultant shared this option with me. The milk bank that I worked with was very kind, considerate and helpful.

Drying up Milk: Here is one link I found but maybe you can find a better link. Most of what I found specifically about drying up after a still birth was on forums. My lactation consultant told me that if I wanted to dry up I could pump just enough to relieve the pressure but not empty my breasts, put cold cabbage leaves in my bra and drink sage tea.

Donating Milk: I worked with WakeMed Mother's Milk Bank. They had me fill out a survey (on paper and fax) to make sure I met the health qualifications. I also had to have some blood work done (WakeMed covered the cost). Once all the lab work and paperwork was processed, they sent me a cooler to ship my milk in and they paid for all the shipping. They require a minimum of 200oz to donate. After pumping, I would seal the milk bag, write the date on it and store it in my freezer until I had enough to donate. I decided to just send 1 shipment after I had finished pumping. One thing to keep in mind if you are considering donating your milk, is that you will be restricted from taking many medications (i.e. for sleep or pain, etc). So, it is important to do what is best for your health and recovery. If you are not able to donate because of sleep issues (at one time my husband asked me to consider quitting because I was having such difficulties sleeping and was unable to take medications for sleep), physical or emotional pain, etc. that is completely ok and good. Your health and wellness is most important.

I'm so sorry, Anonymous. :( I remember crying so hard after I lost my second baby and my husband asked me (this was a few weeks later) what it was that I wanted. I said, "I want my baby back!!" It does feel less painful eventually, I promise. ((hugs))

Lost my 24 week old son just 2 days ago! I left the hospital empty! i want my baby! My breast are engorged and i just am so confused!! Why,what if,how??? Omg! Do we try again? I'm 40! How does one keep going after having to go through this horrible horrible event! Being postpartum,no happiness to absorb the sadness! I want to scream!!! GIVE ME MY BABY!!! I felt him move,i have his room ready! Should the idea of trying again something we should consider, i couldn't imagine this a sec. Time Or the worries with a healthy baby at my age. MY son was healthy, now hes gone! He should be in my arms drinking my milk! Insted my breasts are engorged,my eyes swollen from my nonstop crying! My abdomen is achy, I'm going through the post partum everything!!! He was 2 inches away from my hands and i couldn't save my baby!!

Kristina, I'm so sorry for the pain you're enduring right now. There is nothing to compare to the agony of losing a child. And yes, you're right, postpartum changes without a baby in your arms are horribly difficult. Please take care of yourself right now, even if you don't want to. The question of trying again can wait for now. I do hope you have some loving support to help you through. May your child's memory be eternal!

Thanks for all your advise!!! I lost my beautiful baby girl at 38 weeks and 3 days due to the umbilical cord wrapping around her leg on april13 2016! Words can't describe the pain I am in. I miss her so much it feels like my heart was ripped out of my chest! It's just not fair!!! I am at a loss on how to think or what to do. If I didn't have my son I don't know what I would do. I need to get my period back so I can try again, not to replace her but to fill the whole in my achy heart!!

Thank you for visiting. If you have a comment or question you are not comfortable leaving in a comment box, then feel free to e-mail me directly. We appreciate the opinions of others, but would remind you to present them with Christian charity.

The Lament of Rachel

Thus says the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” -Jeremiah 31:15

The title?

In 2011 my son, my sixth child, died at just under 13 weeks gestation and was born about three weeks later. We found out he had died on the Feast of St. Innocent (March 31). He had been due about the date of the second feast of St. Innocent (October 6). As it turned out, we buried him on the first old calendar feast of St. Innocent (April 13). It should be no wonder that we named him Innocent. And really, all of our lost babies are little innocents. Previously I had never had any problems in pregnancy so with his death I also experienced a loss of innocence. Since then, we have lost three more babies: another son at 13 weeks, a third baby at 11 weeks and a fourth at 6 weeks. "It can't happen to me" became "It happened to me".

Purpose of this blog

When I was facing a miscarriage in 2011, I realized quickly that the information available online was incomplete. Sending out a plea via my blog, I gratefully received a tremendous amount of practical information and encouragement. I decided I wanted to make that information available to others in a safe format. In addition, by providing it I wanted to encourage women to deliver their babies as naturally as possible. I am an Orthodox Christian matushka so this site will be from an Orthodox perspective although all are welcome. If you have questions, comments or ideas to improve this site, you may contact me at lostinnocentsorthodox@gmail.com.

Important medical disclaimer:

This should not constitute medical advice. My background is 13 years of nursing including gynecology, but I am NOT a doctor. Be sensible and if you find yourself in a situation that worries you please call your doctor or midwife. If you have a life-threatening situation or one that will become life-threatening, please call 911. However badly you may feel, your life is important and you should not deny yourself care.